DA plants cacao and coffee in IP Women’s Organic Village

Just recently, the Department of Agriculture (DA) 11 Gender and Development (GAD) Program spearheaded the soft launching and ceremonial cacao and coffee planting of more than 1000 seedlings to the Indigenous Peoples (IP) Women’s Organic Village in Malamboon Elementary School at Sitio Malamboon, Barangay Malabog, Davao City.

More than 300 persons from the Ata-Manobo tribe benefited from the program wherein 1000 hills were prepared to be planted with seedlings of Café Arabica variety.

Undersecretary for Special Concerns and Director for DA’s GAD Bernadette Romulo-Puyat inaugurated the soft launching ceremonial planting together with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Usec. Puyat, told the IP’s that they will continue to monitor the projects in the area as well as provide interventions for the village. “Babalik at babalik po kami para masigurado naming naimplemento natin yung mga proyekto,” Puyat said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Duterte promised to allocate P 10M pesos for coffee plantation and production in Barangay Malabog for the year 2015.  DA XI Regional Coordinator for GAD Bong Año said that the event was a jumpstart for several projects from the agriculture sector including the plan for inland aquaculture and establishment of demo farm in Barangay Malabog.

According to Datu Generoso Baon, indigenous people’s mandatory representative (IPMR) and one of the beneficiaries, they are thankful that the service of the government reached in their area.

The IP Women Organic Village project is a typical rural development initiative spearheaded by the DA-XI GAD focal system to help raise the capacities of women in agriculture especially in far flung areas.

In this project, women are taking the lead by allowing them to partake in the entire process of human and community development which include cacao production.

The project also promoted an ecologically sound and balance bio-diversified and integrated farming system with preference on organic cacao production, vegetable natural farming production, livestock production and in-land fish farming. (Aggie Media Service)